“It is 1942 in Holland and the Germans have invaded. All Jewish people are frightened for their lives, so the Frank family hide. Life is dangerous but they hope for the best – until they are finally discovered. Anne Frank was a real person, and this is her diary.”

Holocaust Books for Children

It’s International Holocaust Remembrance Day.

I was wondering: what kind of holocaust books for children were published/are publishing? Everyone knows The Diary of a Young Girl. I love it, by the way. In my opinion, 13-year-old Anne Frank was one of the greatest journalists in the world! But how about other (picture or chapter) holocaust books for kids?

“The life of Anne Frank is presented in this haunting, meticulously researched picture book. The stunningly evocative illustrations by Angela Barrett are worth a thousand words in capturing for young Americans what it must have felt like to be Anne Frank, a spirited child caught in the maelstrom of World War II atrocities.”

“For one family the traditional Hanukkah celebration has a deeper meaning. Amidst the food and the festivities, Grandma and Great-Aunt Rose begin their story – the one they tell each year. It reaffirms the values of tradition and family, but also shows us that by continuing to honor the tragedies and the triumphs of the past there will always be hope for the future.”

“Fifteen thousand children under the age of fifteen passed through the Terezin Concentration Camp. Fewer than 100 survived. In these poems and pictures drawn by the young inmates, we see the daily misery of these uprooted children, as well as their hopes and fears, their courage and optimism.”

“This, the only memoir published by a former Schindler’s List child, perfectly captures the innocence of a small boy who goes through the unthinkable. Most notable is the lack of rancor, the lack of venom, and the abundance of dignity in Mr. Leyson’s telling. The Boy on the Wooden Box is a legacy of hope, a memoir unlike anything you’ve ever read.”

“Through the eyes of ten-year-old Annemarie, we watch as the Danish Resistance smuggles almost the entire Jewish population of Denmark, nearly seven thousand people, across the sea to Sweden. The heroism of an entire nation reminds us that there was pride and human decency in the world even during a time of terror and war.”

“This childrens classsic is a powerful and beautiful book told first-hand by Otto, a German-born teddy bear who is separated from his Jewish owner, lives through World War II, and is reunited with his original owner 50 years later.”

“Since the Tall Boots – the Nazis – have marched into Monique’s small French village, terrorizing it, nothing surprises her. Until the night Monique encounters ‘the little ghost’ sitting at the end of her bed. When she turns out to be – not a ghost at all – but a young girl named Sevrine, who has been hiding from the Nazis in Monique’s own basement, how could Monique not be surprised!”

Just a quote from the book: “You’re a strong skater, Piet, and you have a quick mind. This is why I know you’ll succeed in this important task. I wouldn’t ask you to do this if I didn’t know it could be done.”

“It kills me sometimes, how people die.”
― Markus Zusak, The Book Thief

Death is the busiest literary character ever. It’s here, here and even HERE!

I finished The Book Thief, yes I did.

The story is about 9-year-old Liesel Meminger who learned how to read and write. Not unusual? So, what about this: She learned how to love words and books. And most of all, she learned that the word is a powerful tool.

When? Where? How did she do it?

It was 1939, Nazi Germany, a dark basement. Liesel were learning letters with her accordion-playing foster father. She fell in love with books quite immediately. (She even stole her first book before she learned to read!) She wanted to read more and more, but during the Second World War it was impossible to buy new books, they were too expensive for her family. So that she decided to thieve them.

Now about the Death

The Death was a narrator. Very good one, actually. I bet that during the Second World War you couldn’t find a better storyteller.

“A small but noteworthy note. I’ve seen so many young men over the years who think they’re running at other young men. They are not. They are running at me.” ― The Death in The Book Thief by Markus Zusak

When I was reading the book, I realized three things. First, I will die. Second, the Death is not as bad as people say. For me it’s a cool guy, one of the MOST – most favourite. Third, I did love the Death’s brilliant story about The Book Thief and yes, I recommend it to you.

I’m looking at the Czech book cover right now and thinking: What a beautiful picture! Liesel is dancing with the Death. But here is another book cover I found and which I like even more.